Numerical study of droplet dynamics in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell gas channel using an embedded Eulerian-Lagrangian approach

An embedded Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation for the simulation of droplet dynamics within a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) channel is presented. Air is modeled using an Eulerian formulation, whereas water is described with a Lagrangian framework. Using this framework, the gas-liquid interface...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Jarauta Arabí, Àlex, Ryzhakov, Pavel|||0000-0002-4672-9038, Secanell, Marc, Pons Prats, Jordi|||0000-0002-4930-9135, Waghmare, Prashant R.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/167785
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/167785
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.05.030
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Eulerian graph theory
Fuel cells
Droplet dynamics
Surface tension
Embedded
Piles de combustible
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física
Descripción
Sumario:An embedded Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation for the simulation of droplet dynamics within a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) channel is presented. Air is modeled using an Eulerian formulation, whereas water is described with a Lagrangian framework. Using this framework, the gas-liquid interface can be accurately identified. The surface tension force is computed using the curvature defined by the boundary of the Lagrangian mesh. The method naturally accounts for material property changes across the interface and accurately represents the pressure discontinuity. A sessile drop in a horizontal surface, a sessile drop in an inclined plane and droplets in a PEFC channel are solved for as numerical examples and compared to experimental data. Numerical results are in excellent agreement with experimental data. Numerical results are also compared to results obtained with the semi-analytical model previously developed by the authors in order to discuss the limitations of the semi-analytical approach.